Duke of Cambridge to attend SkillForce Anniversary Gala Dinner

The Duke of Cambridge will attend SkillForce’s 10th Anniversary Gala Dinner at the Imperial War Museum on Wednesday 12th November.

Prince William arriving at RAAF Amberley in Australia in 2011.

At the fundraising event, Prince William will be met by Lord Ashcroft, who is a SkillForce Ambassador, and Mr Peter Cross, the Chief Executive Officer, who will introduce the Duke to students and donors. During the event, William will meet primary schoolchildren from schools who have started the SkillForce Junior Prince’s Award.

The Duke of Cambridge will learn about some of the “Remembrance” projects students have taken part in, including hearing from some children who researched local men and women who fought in the First World War. The Prince will also learn about other children’s projects which have focused on learning and restoring local war memorials, with some of the children’s work will be presented to the Duke. William will also join guests in watching a film in the museum’s Atrium about SkillForce’s work. Both the Duke of Cambridge and Lord Ashcroft will give an address at the start of the special dinner.

Prince William has been patron of SkillForce since 2009, and regularly attends engagements for the education charity. The Gala Dinner will also be in celebration of the launch of the SkillForce Junior Prince’s Award, which began earlier this year. This is a programme designed to help primary-aged children prepare for the transition to secondary school through challenging and confidence-building activities and projects.

SkillForce draws upon the values and skills of ex-Forces personnel to work in schools and inspire young people aged between nine to 19 years old. The charity also provides services in order to train and mentor those Service leavers who would like to start a career in education. In the last ten years, SkillForce instructors have worked with 50,000 young people in Great Britain.

Prince William launched the SkillForce Prince’s Award for secondary school-aged children in 2011, with the new Junior Prince’s Award building on the elements of that award. The Gala Dinner will be a fitting celebration of the charity’s work and continuous support for both ex-Forces personnel and young people, as well as recognising the support of the charity by the Duke.